Text 27561, 59 rader
Skriven 2009-02-16 17:00:50 av Robert Bashe (2:2448/44)
  Kommentar till text 27552 av Michiel van der Vlist (2:280/5555)
Ärende: Contracts between employer and employee
===============================================
Michiel van der Vlist wrote to Robert Bashe on Monday February 16 2009 at
11:18:

RB>> Well-run companies want motivated employees who do their best for the
RB>> company and incidently for themselves.

MV> Yes, they want that too. What they *want*  is people that are
MV> motivated and work 24/7 without pay. What they *get* is the result of
MV> a compromise.

RB>> You must have been employed at some pretty lousy companies to have
RB>> such an attitude.

MV> Not really. all in all I have not much reason to complain. But I am
MV> not so naive as to beleive everyone who says they have my best
MV> ineterst at hearth speaks the truth.

As a matter of fact, I don't happen to be an idiot either, but it took a long
time befoire I realized that I had to look out for myself, since nobody else
was going to do that. On the other hand, I see the realities of life and have
no illusions as to who is on _my_ side. I AM. If anyone else is, that's a happy
coincidence.

On the other hand, I'm not so naive that I believe companies treat employees
poorly without any reason. They don't. Satisfied employees are more productive
than dissatisfied ones, and bring the company more success.

That doesn't mean a company will _always_, under _all_ circumstances, treat
employees in a manner the latter would wish. Circumstances sometimes dictate
unpleasant consequences, such as "redundancies" (firings) of long-term
employees. The organization comes first, a principle, I might add, that also
applies to the Catholic and Protestant Churches.

The fact of the matter is that company managers are paid to ensure success of
the company, not to provide jobs or social benefits to the employees, although
those may well be a part of the job. The main thing is that people realize they
have too look outfor themselves, and not expect companies, or "big daddy" (the
government) to take care of them without any effort on their part. There's
entirely too much of this attitude nowadays, and that's the reason so many
people are disappointed with their companies - and to some extent with their
governments as well.

Cheers, Bob

P.S. Why did I become self-employed? Because I thought that if I made a mess of
things and went broke, it would be _my_ mistake and not that of someone else. I
wanted to be the master of my own fate, for better or worse. I only regret the
decision came so late in life.

P.P.S. Did I ever tell you the story of how I - for the first and only time in
my life - fired an employee (in Montreal)? I was terrified and thought I was
doing him a terrible disservice, although the reasons for the firing were
totally justified. I could hardly look him in the face.

He just looked at me and said "Then I guess I can go home, OK?". I was more
upset than he was. Call that "radical capitalism" if you want.

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